i have some jeans in the closet. i used to wear them. i used to look really good in them. now when i put them on i cannot button them....i can't even get the button close to the button hole. i would estimate that button-to-button-hole-distance is five inches. that doesn't account for the muffin top i'm sure i would experience if and when i should manage to force that poor little button into its destination. the good news? my butt and thighs still manage to fit. that's something...right?

so...can you tell me about fitting into some pants that you once thought it would be impossible to wear again? it just seems so far away....almost hard to imagine. i'd like to hear from people who have managed to work their way back into a goal size, or even smaller! need some uplifting encouragement today.

also, how often did you check in with the pants while you were losing? thanks!

I had a pair of tan Tommy Hilfiger pants that I loved... wore them well past the time that I should have put them up. I felt like you could bounce a quarter on my thigh they were so tight... and they had a little stretch in them, too..

I can remember when I was able to put them on again and they were comfortable. I would have worn them every day I was so thrilled!

But what I remember more? When they were too big and I had to give them away. So sad to let them go, but so happy that I had to replace them.

And, I tried them on 'officially' once per week, but really any time the mood struck.

I do actually have one of those stories They aren't goal pants, but they were a mini goal pair of pants. I was an 18 through most of college, but as I was graduating somehow (not trying) I ended up loosing quite a bit of weight and was a comfortable 16. My mom worked at Avenue during that time and was being considerate and bought me a couple pairs of 16 jeans when they went on sale and a pair of 14's. Life happened and I never made it into those 14's. I gained weight and ended up as a tight 22 and 270 lbs. When I started loosing weight, those 14's looked like they were forever away. I tried them on in the beginning and didn't again for probably 6 months, but when I ended back up in 16's I started putting them back on every month of so. I'm comfortably in those jeans now.

-btw- I've got a size 10 little black dress hanging up in my closet that I'm working towards in the same manner now. Just try it on every once in a while to see if it's getting closer.

Way back in undergrad (during the Dark Ages, naturally) my sister and I were working out together a lot. She has always been the 'thin' one, by virtue of developing the opposite eating disorder from me (thanks, Mom!), so she was an exercise addict/borderline anorexic (she's perfectly healthy now). Anyway, at the time we were exercising obsessively, and I guess she thought it would be good incentive to 'gift' me with some pants of hers that got too big, so I'd have something to work toward.

They were size 12s. I think the smallest I got down to was a 14. But for some reason I cannot fathom, I kept those pants all these years, and recently I tried them on, and what do you know, they finally fit! They are really not a very flattering cut (I don't do straight legs) and I will never wear them, but I could, and that's the point.

Another, better pants story: Flash forward to the present day, and once again my sister and I are workout partners (though I am the obsessive one these days). We also enjoy thrift store shopping together. A few months ago she picked up a pair of really cute size 10 Banana Republic pants. They're really light pink. 'Oh, those are cute for you,' I thought at the time, 'but my butt is way too big for pink pants. I'd look like a circus tent.'

Last weekend I went to her house to work out, and afterwards she dragged some pants out of her closet to give me that had gotten too big. I'd been complaining about sizing down out of all my work slacks, so I was happy to take her hand-me-downs. In the pile were -- you guessed it -- the pink Banana Republic pants. "I can't wear these," I said. "My butt is still way too big for anything this light."

"Shut up," she said. "If you can fit into them, your butt is not too big to wear them."

And what do you know, they fit. They even look pretty *good*. I wore them out that night. I expected to feel really conspicuous, I guess because my entire life I have followed the 'no light colors on the bottom, fattie' rule, but you know, I felt pretty good in those pink pants. I hope they will be too big soon, but maybe I'll get another pair when I reach my goal.

My minigoal jeans will be going to the charity shop in the next month hopefully I bought them for £3 when I was at my heaviest - they were meant to be 2 sizes too small btu they were a small fitting so nearer 3 sizes too small. I don't know why I bought them as I knew they wouldn't fit but then I thought maybe they would Anyway, they didn't fit over my legs properly and when I did manage to pull them up they were at least 6 inches too small but now they are far too big but just about OK with a belt as long as I'm not going out anywhere I've replaced them with a pair of UK 18 jeans that don't fit me which are also a small fitting and also were cheap - they fitted just like my £3 ones when I got them though they are a little nearer to fitting than they were a month ago

I actually never had any "goal pants" but my closet contained a ton of pairs of jeans that no longer fit me. However, I was not really interested in fitting into them because I have had them for so many years that the style was totally out (I call it a "carrot" - tall waist, probably sitting ABOVE your bully-button, fairly roomy at the hips but narrow at the ankles). I had them in every size as I kept slowly expanding over the years.
I ditched them all a few months ago (I took boxes and boxes (and boxes) full of clothes to a charity store). There was one pair though that I wondered if I would fit into - it was a pair that I actually don't even know why I bought it it was too small at the time I got it (10 years later, it still had the tags attached). I did fit into it but it was a pair of "skinny" jeans (again, why would I EVER buy a pair of skinny jeans since I never liked them?) - the trousers were so tight that it felt like my legs were encased in denim condoms (I guess I can say now I understand why guys don't like them LOL) and they were so long that they would have needed to be shortened by at least 2" (and I need 33" inseam length to start with). Whatever possessed me to buy those, I will never know.

But, this summer, as I was decluttering the house, I found a pair of hand-me-down white shorts (and they were short shorts - just covering the butt) that somebody gave me years ago. I could not resist and put them on thinking they would be still to tight and to my surprise they were in fact a tad too loose on me. So I kept them just for the sentimental value.

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Dearest Schumeany: Yes, those are size 4 jeans hugging my posterior. Thank you for being such motivation!!!

A few years back, I was roaming a secondhand clothing store when I came across a pair of Levi's size 10, non-stretch jeans. Being a poor student, Levi's were (and had always been) out of my price range and when I tried these ones on in the dressing room I could barely zip them up and I had to hold my breath and gape at my massive muffin top until I saw stars.

But I bought them anyway hoping to fit into them one day...I carted them across the country as I moved and periodically tried them on.

2 months ago I remembered them. I went and got them and pulled them on. They slid nicely over my knees, my thighs, my bum and up to my waist. I braced myself for the massive inhaling I would have to do to get the button done up (let alone the zipper)... but they did up easily and the zipper zipped up without protest... and, well there was still a bit of a muffin top but that's because they are slightly higher cut jeans than I usually wear.

I squealed and ran out into the living room where I proceeded to dance around joyfully in front of my husband.

No success story yet but I do have a pair of size 22s (more like 20) waiting for me! I try them on every once in a while. I think when I reach 275 I will try them on again!

Quoting myself to say I tried them on just now and they fit AWESOME!!!! I also tried on a pair of stretch 20s that also fit! I just have the dreaded muffin top with them and they don't look quite good on me yet but when I got them, buttoning was not an option!!! Oh and the first pants are more comparable to a pair of 21s that I have, not 20. But still, they fiiiiiiiiit!!!!!!!!!!